Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Lina Khan, Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Cantor of the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (“DOJ”), They met in Washington for their fourth meeting. EU-US Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue (“TCPD”). The aim of the dialogue is to further strengthen cooperation to ensure and promote fair competition in the digital economy.
“The growth of data monopolies and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence are magnifying the competitive threats we face from dominant digital gatekeepers.” Jonathan Cantor, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, said:. “Exchanging best practices with countries around the world helps us serve the American people more effectively, and we deeply appreciate the Commission's continued involvement through the TCPD.”
“As businesses move at breakneck speed to build and monetize artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making tools, collaborating with international partners and sharing best practices is especially important. ” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said: “The Joint Technical Dialogue provides an important opportunity for U.S. government agencies and the European Commission to discuss new threats in the rapidly evolving digital economy.””
Today's conversation will focus on (i) rapidly evolving technologies in the digital space, such as artificial intelligence and the cloud, (ii) ensuring merger execution takes into account the realities of the modern digital economy, and (iii) optimally taking into account evolving markets. We focused on how to. Dynamics in the digital field, especially regarding technology platforms.
The three authorities agreed on the importance of continuing close cooperation within the framework of the TCPD to ensure fair competition in the technology field. The TCPD will continue to hold high-level meetings, as well as regular discussions at a more technical level.
background
On June 15, 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden launched the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The TTC serves as a forum for the United States and the European Union to coordinate their approaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues, and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations based on shared democratic values. .
On December 7, 2021, the Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice launched the TCPD, which focuses on developing a common approach and increasing cooperation on competition policy and enforcement in the technology sector. . The second TCPD meeting was held on October 13, 2022, and the third on March 30, 2023.
The Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division have a long tradition of working closely together on antitrust enforcement and policy. This cooperation predates the formal 1991 Agreement between the Commission of the European Communities and the United States Government on the Application of Competition Law, and was followed by the 1998 Agreement on the Application of Positive Benevolence Principles in the Enforcement of Competition Law. was supplemented by Their competition law. In 2011, the three institutions reaffirmed their strong commitment to this mutually beneficial partnership by adopting joint best practices for merger cooperation.
